NARCONON BLOG

STATISTICS & TRENDS

How One Police Chief Is Changing the Conversation Around Addiction

A 30-year law enforcement veteran from Newtown, Ohio, Police Chief Tom Synan has stepped up and launched the Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition, a partnership between law enforcement and behavioral health programs. The coalition’s goal is to...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Digital Currency and Fentanyl, New Elements of 21st-Century Drug Trafficking

“Two Dutch nationals, an Englishman, and nine companies have been targeted for sanctions by the U.S. government for allegedly operating an illegal fentanyl ring that generated millions of dollars in virtual currency.” That is the opening line from...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Research Suggests a Link Between Pandemic Drinking and Alcohol-Related Deaths

A unique drug, alcohol is known to be an unhealthy substance that carries both short-term and long-term harm, yet the substance is socially accepted and normalized within American society. New research shows how alcohol-related deaths spiked 26% during...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Alcohol Is the Cause of One in Five Young Adult Deaths

An alarming new study shows that not only do more Americans lose their lives from alcohol-related causes each year than drug-related causes, but an increasing number of those who die are young-to-middle-aged adults. These findings suggest that the American...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

New York Next in Line to Settle Opioid Case with Big Pharma

Over the past few years, dozens of lawsuits have culminated in major pharmaceutical companies being held at least somewhat accountable for creating America’s crippling opioid addiction epidemic. Most recently, New York State settled a $524 million lawsuit...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Health Experts Sound the Alarm Over Allergy Meds Found in Street Opioids

Newly published research has produced evidence of yet another drug risk, i.e., allergy medications being added to illicit street opioids. This development poses an increased risk to users, as antihistamines have a drowsiness effect, which, when coupled...

ADDICTION

Talking to Loved Ones About Drugs Saves Lives

With numerous factors like the spread of fentanyl into the drug supply, soaring overdose deaths, increasing normalization of drug use, and greater access to drugs, it seems as though drug abuse is becoming more likely and more dangerous. In this landscape,...

DRUG INFORMATION

Nitazenes, A New Drug with Fentanyl–Like Potency Hits the Streets

In Tennessee, four times as many fatalities were recorded for nitazene overdoses in 2021 than in 2020, with some experts saying nitazenes are as potent or more potent than fentanyl. Further, naloxone does not always work to counteract the effects of nitazene...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

New Study Shows Doctors Prescribing Lower Dosage Opioids

A study out of Canada shows that many doctors are now prescribing less potent doses of opioid pain relievers for post-surgery pain. While this is certainly a step in the right direction, advocates say doctors should also recommend nonopioid pain relief...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Recent Overdoses in New York Show How Drug Abuse can Harm People of All Backgrounds

When three New Yorkers of remarkably different backgrounds overdosed and died on the same day, many believed their deaths were coincidental. But investigators later began to see a pattern when they discovered that all three users had ordered drugs from...

DRUG INFORMATION

Cannabis Users at Greater Risk for Heart Rhythm Disorder

A new study showed that cannabis users experience a 35% increase in their risk for developing the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation. A-fib reduces quality of life and increases the risk of stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, heart attack, and...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Research Shows Cannabis Legalization Leads to a Spike in Use

The subject of marijuana legalization has been hotly debated for decades. New research has found that when states legalize marijuana, consumption rates go up. Since marijuana has harmful short-term and long-term effects, constituents, policymakers, and...

DRUG INFORMATION

New Studies Show Another Reason Why Fentanyl Overdoses are Often Fatal

A new study has shown that fentanyl is so potent it can stop the user’s breathing and cause death while the user is still conscious. That is different from other opioid overdoses that typically involve the user going unconscious before experiencing halted...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

One-Third of Young People Admit to Misusing Prescribed Psychoactive Drugs

Psychoactive medications (mind-altering pills like prescription stimulants or sedatives) pose risks for unwanted side effects, addiction included. But that’s not a new story. What is new is that a recent study just found that when these drugs are prescribed...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Drug Overdoses Contributed to the Latest Drop in American Life Expectancy

While many factors influence American life expectancy, some causes of death (and the ever-changing upticks and downward-trends surrounding such deaths) are considered more of an influence than others. For example, fatal accidental injuries spiked in the...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Pharmacies Ordered to Pay $650 Million for Role in Opioid Epidemic

A legal battle that has been ongoing for years concluded recently. Two Ohio counties that were inundated with far more opioid pills than residents needed will now receive $650 million from pharmacy corporations actively involved in doling out addictive...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

After Years of Advocacy, U.S. Opioid Prescribing Is Declining

After years of cautionary advice from the CDC, addiction horror stories from patients, and undeniable statistics showing the connection between opioid prescribing and addiction, it seems opioid prescribing trends are finally declining in a measurable,...

DRUG INFORMATION

What Is Rainbow Fentanyl?

Illicit fentanyl has been a leading cause of fatal overdoses in the United States for some years. Adding to the concern, recent reports by the Drug Enforcement Administration suggest that new strains of “rainbow fentanyl” could be spreading through...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Dentists Can Curb Opioid Addiction and Still Help Patients with Post-Operation Pain

New research into a significant change in New York dental practice has found that dentists can stop prescribing opioids and shift to only recommending over-the-counter pain relievers for patients, all with little to no negative effects. The findings may...

STATISTICS & TRENDS

Marijuana and Hallucinogen Use Reach All-Time High Among Young Adults

Monitoring substance abuse trends among young people provides a clear view of developing drug problems nationwide. Recent studies in this area suggest that certain types of drug use are now the highest they’ve ever been for young people, painting a dire...